Nashoba: School Resource Officers help keep students safe

By Sharon TullyBeacon-villager@wickedlocal.com

Thursday

Sep 25, 2014 at 12:29 PMSep 25, 2014 at 12:29 PM

The presence of an armed police officer at a school is still a relatively new sight, but there are many positive aspects to having school resource officers, according to all involved with this program at Nashoba Regional High School in Bolton.The Nashoba district serves students in Bolton, Lancaster and Stow. With more than 1,000 students, two part-time school resource officers from the Bolton Police Department have been employed at the school for the past two years.Bolton Police Chief Vincent Alfano has years of experience regarding school safety and security."Back in the ‘90s, I was part of a program in Framingham funded by grant money that paired a police officer with health curriculum teachers. We co-taught courses on teen dating, violence prevention, and conflict resolution," he said. "This was really the precursor to the student resource officers we know today. I saw firsthand the value in building a relationship of trust among the police, students, and staff."When Alfano became police chief in Bolton about 10 years ago, he met with the Board of Selectmen and school officials, asking for their support in hiring a school resource officer."We didn’t have full support initially, but we kept trying. A couple of years ago, we finally got a program approved. Dr. [Parry] Graham, the Nashoba Regional High School principal, has been outstanding to work with. The Police Department and the school split the cost for this 20-hour per week position," he said.Alfano points out that the approval came after the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. He believes the incident caused "an enlightened and enhanced awareness of school safety."There was a stringent process completed to select the officers for the position."The original plan was to have one officer, but ultimately two officers were chosen. Sandra Lawton is the primary, and Eric Koukos is the alternate," Alfano said. "Both have the same authority. It’s helpful to have a male and a female, because some people relate better to one than the other. Also, it’s nice to have a backup."Both officers work for the Bolton Police Department and underwent significant training for the job."There are police officers, and then there are police officers that have a special knack for interacting with students. Both Lawton and Koukos have recognizable qualities for invoking trust with students and faculty," Alfano said. "The biggest success is flow of information, communication, and trust. That’s how we can stem off issues."Graham agreed that the program has been a great partnership between the high school and the police department."Our two school resource officers click well with the kids," he said.Graham said a survey was conducted at the end of the year, and feedback from both students and parents was positive."One comment we received from students is that they wanted more opportunities to interact with the school resource officers. So, one of our goals is to get them even more involved," he said.Graham added, "In the event of an emergency, having an armed police officer here is good."Alfano said the officers work out their schedule with the school, making sure they are available for special events, such as football games."They meet daily with the school administration and students; they do presentations and classes. They are also a resource for career opportunities in law enforcement," he said.They are also allowed flexibility with their attire."Sometimes they’ll wear civilian clothes; sometimes faculty-type clothing; sometimes the standard uniform," he said.Their job also requires some flexibility."They have a dual role. In a rapid response role, they are the first responders for medical calls, disputes, or any other issue," Alfano said. "The secondary role is as a deterrent. They can deal with an external threat or internal issue. When they’re on duty, they have firearms. We have to be prepared to deal with the bad guys. We’ve encountered concerns with knives, but no firearms yet."Police have also studied ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate), but Alfano is not convinced it would be effective."There are facets that do not fit exactly what we’re looking for. It doesn’t fit our response model," he said. "Parts of it are very good. We’re looking at a blend. It’s great in a college campus environment. But, when you start to push it down to elementary, middle, and high schools, there are some operational aspects that would actually hinder our model of response."School Resource Officers Sandra Lawton and Eric Koukos could not be reached for comment.

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